apierro36

Hey derek, thanks a bunch! Yes Ive got a multimeter but like I said its kinda tough chasing stuff around on the road, and my expertise does not lie in electrical repair. I was never able to locate a wiring diagram, though when I first got it I searched a bunch for any paperwork, it proved very difficult to track down... I know it sounds like Im kinda flyin blind here, but the coach rebuild kind of took all of my time before the trip...being a carpenter its much easier to nerd out on that end, and some things fall by the wayside!

weelllllll its been a while but weve been busy putting miles down.... finished a near total rebuild of the coach, i think it looks pretty smart. will post pics soon. now its time to trouble shoot all the little, and not so little details. our biggest issue has been electrical. LIghts etc seemed to be running fine before the rebuild, but truth be told we never used it too much before this trip, so it couldve been inconsistent before, Im not really sure. I pulled all the lights and replaced the fixtures with new ones i built and switched all the bulbs out to LEDs. hooked it back up to the battery and everything was runnin great! success! then 2 weeks on the road and stuff started to flicker, the lights wouldn't come on full power, things were weird. where Im at now is when you turn on the lights, theyll generally come on at maybe half power, and the monitor reads low. For some reason, heres the strange part, if you flick on the water pump and hold it until it kicks on, then switch it off real quick, the lights will come on full power and hold indefinitely. weird huh? Then I noticed last night my running lights werent working. Again, full disclosure, it's possible they NEVER worked, and having driven it so little at night, I couldve never noticed. I thought they were hooked up to the coach battery but I talked to an old timer who used to have a toyhome and he said his were all run off a box behind the headlights. Could these issues be related? Anyway Ive been chasin wires around in parking lots etc for about a week now and Im ready to go drop hard earned duckets for a shop somewhere outside jacksonville to tell me they couldnt figure it out, thatll be 200$ please. Anybody in the area know someone, or wanna troubleshoot a bit? whats your idea? thanks again, love the forum. unfortunately im gonna miss the gathering in the southwest by a couple weeks but well make one of em one of these days... alex

Hey now! I bit the bullet and purchased the flooring for my gutted 87 conquest...12x24" natural cork 1/4 " tiles. these are the straight tiles, no backer, not floating or TnG. I assumed that lumber liquidators, or the hardwood flooring place next door, or the lowes across the street would have the appropriate recommended water based contact adhesive for the tiles...not so. Then I started thinking. This floor is gonna freeze and thaw over and over again...Do I need some kind of exterior adhesive to withstand temperature and humidity changes common in campers? Anybody dealt with this? Im doing a test using some vinyl/asphalt tile adhesive (mastic type) that I had laying around (no pun intended:) Someone suggested just straight subfloor adhesive, for it's elastic properties and assumedly burlier temperature ratings. Input? Any help, as always, is much appreciated! Alex

Its potentially shippable totem...where are you located?

Hey Im starting the LED conversion in my camper while I have most of the coach tore out. I am finding a good deal of info here as usual, but I guess I just wanted to pick folks brains about replacing the fixtures, as mine are aged, cracked, and ratty lookin. Any favorite fixtures people have used? how many leds per fixture do I need to have light comparable to the existing incandescents? Im guessing go warm as far as color goes... I guess Im really looking for examples of fixtures replacements people have done. Thanks! Alex

Thanks Linda Ill try to give it a start before I remove it. Like I said Im not trying to sell it but pretty much give it away...I guess the trip out here is worth more than the money sometimes so yeah you'd want to know it works

So does the fridge still draw power when it's on LP mode?

So if I run my coach battery down can it drain the truck battery? Good at some things, but no electrical whiz am I....

Hey all Over the course of this weekends work, I removed a few things. I have them stashed in corners all over the shop, and need to get them out before Im discovered. Not really looking to sell, but a friendly barter or at least to see them go to a good home would be ideal. I removed the awning, a Faulkner Excel. Never even opened the thing, not sure of condition. I can check if someones really interested, but judging by the condition of the rest of the rig it should be pretty straight. I want to remove the A/C, a Duo Therm Brisk Air. Again, never started the thing up. took the cover off poked around inside everything seems clean. For this, if you want to come help me remove the unit it's yours to walk away with. Either way I'm gonna pull it when my new roof vents come in the mail. I've also got the seat cushions and original bed cushion, doubt if anyone will want these. Cant bring myself to toss em yet though. PM me or post here for more info. Im located in Brooklyn NYC the RV is located in Queens

do those maxxair vent covers fit over your existing roof vent or is it an either or thing? just ordered 2 new vents online and maybe a maxxair style vent might be better for me... I am also posting a new thread giving away a few items and appliances in exchange for a little help and advice, a duo therm brisk air AC unit included amongst them...not trying to hijack thread PM me for more info

thanks for all the tips! ill keep you posted...truth be told this is far from #1 on my list and the weather is warming...although i dont have to think about it too much and its pretty straightforward so thats a plus.

Where's the best place to purchase a new blower for a super squealy 87 conquest? Almost better to freeze...

Thanks for all the input. Shoulda been more thorough from the start w silicone removal. Crisis averted, cleaned it all up and resealed, but would have much rather done something else w my Saturday. I ended up using mckanica brand gel silicone remover, left it a few hours, and scraped the hell out of it. Then ran out of mckanica, so I bought some motsenbockers at home depot. Both products seemed to work reasonably well, but it still takes a lot of elbow grease... Looks a lot better now anyway

Yeah I guess I was wondering if anyone had any experience with solvents. I've read 100 percent mineral spirits, or vinegar, etc. mechanically removing would be a huge time investment and probably ineffective

Well I guess there was more silicone underneath than I thought... Bummer

I redid the whole cabover 2 weeks ago. It's been raining for 2 days and I've been watching and today I go in and there's a big water mark in the corner where everything would run to. I'm inspecting the seals outside and I get a nail under the line of pro flex I've run and the whole damn bead comes off in a ribbon. Didn't adhere. Wtf? Does this stuff not stick to silicone? I thought this was the top quality stuff? Help!

@sdboltdude: the aluminum framing saved me. didn't have much structural work pretty much all cosmetic, sunk some self tappers and called it good. Are you gonna keep the cab access open? i just shut mine down, partially out of laziness and partially because i plan on building a fold-down bed extension to accommodate me and the lady. Speaking of which, that's the next project. Anybody got any tips or tricks they'd like to share? I'm thinking a hinged arrangement, maybe 18" foldup, latched upright. Should I deadleg it and hinge the deadleg? Should I use 45 degree brackets screwed into the seatbackers? I plan on installing a ledger for it to rest on the length of the bed, but beyond that I'm still in planning stages...Shoulda used 3/4 AC or something for the bed in retrospect, but that 1/2" shop birch was just laying around begging to get cut up...

Thanks dolphinite! Just sinkin my teeth in... This was the big structural job that had to be done first, Im lookin forward to gettin into the more fun stuff.

The mission: Tear out and replace the rotted-to-nothin cabover in my 1987 conquest before 5am Monday when the shop opens for business. As my first major project on the new camper, of course it was much more involved than i initially thought it would be... Here's a picture of the visible water damage inside the cabover. Tip of the iceberg, of course, to what lies beneath... I removed all the paneling, insulation, and luan backer from the walls and bed. Due probably to all the recent snowmelt, there was practically standing water under the foam, and what once was 1/8 ply now was like a handful of wet noodles Here's what I was left with. I think I beat my head against the wall 3-4 times at this point in the day I was luckily able to pull one of the side panels out without damaging it too much, so I used it as a template to cut new ones out of 1/4" preprimed luan, mostly just because we have a TON of it at the shop. I used the mirror image for the other side and with a little tweaking it worked fine. I used spray adhesive to attach the new 1" Insul-R foam (r6.5) in between the aluminum framing, though it was tight enough and I probably didn't need to. And here's the first side panel installed over all the new insulation with the window flange fit in. The toughest part of the whole deal was getting the window to line up enough to bite the edges and seal all the way around, as it seems the fiberglass was cut a little big... There was also some rot on one of the floating window frames, so instead of rebuilding the whole thing, in the interest of time i ripped a piece of pine down and patched it. I used spray adhesive and construction adhesive to hold the front panel in (mostly I used the contact cement cause I didn't have anyone to help me hold the piece,) and clamped it till the liquid nails set. I didn't have the time to leave it overnight, so I sunk some screws into the aluminum and called it good. This was my biggest worry: getting this seam to line up again with the busted old aluminum strip that was on there before. I called a friend to help put some inward pressure while i zipped it back up. This seam was screwed straight up into a nailer that went the width of the camper, which was all rotted out. I replaced it with a stick of batten, which also later served as a ledger to butt the piece of 1/2" birch I used as a nose piece. And here she is, roughed in and resealed, with enough time to eat dinner, shower, and get a decent night's rest. I bought some 3/4" butyl tape and resealed all the windows, then ran a line of Proflex RV around em. Here's another perspective. Since last weekend, I cut an angled piece of foam for the nose and mitered a piece of the birch I used for the decking to go in between where you see the exposed aluminum. This weekend, I cut trim, primed, bondo-d some little spaces, and now I wait on the lovely lady to tell me what color she wants it! I have some old wool twill fabric left over from a job I was going to reupholster with , and I think a nice light olive would look great on the walls... There you have it! about 18 hours and full use of the shop over the weekend, and she survived this weeks rains without a drop inside! More to come as the plot thickens...

I just did a weekend tear out and repair of the cabover in my 87 conquest. As soon as I figure out how to post pictures I'll put em up...

Great stuff, thanks all! I guess I was also wondering if anyone had "a guy" in my area. Don't see a lot of rvs in nyc, but hey...theres always north jersey! @Bob C I've heard a lot recently about age of a MH being a factor in excluding people from parks. Take that hard earned money elsewhere! Thanks for the great advice, keep em comin!

I was wondering what people's takes are on the necessity of installing a secondary transmission cooler. Preferred models, etc? What's a decent price, and is it worth it, in your opinion? I have an 87 conquest w 77,000 on a 22re. Also, does anyone actually use OD even on a straightaway? pulling that much, it scares me a little... Thanks!

1987 Gulfstream Conquest 21 ft. Currently based out of Brooklyn NY, relocating to Portland, OR doing summers in AK.

jdemaris: Thanks! Yeah the little suitcase ones are what Ive been lookin at...I was thinkin 130w...My energy use is low, but not 30w low! I know I'll pay for it, but I was thinking go portable because I don't know where I'm gonna end up parkin the beast. Better to have the option to scoot the panel and point it at the sun than have to bake in the RV to run a nightlight.

Hi All! To usher in the new year, I've gone ahead and fulfilled a long time dream of mine, to buy a new (to me) used (lightly, hopefully) toyota motorhome! We picked up a decent condition decent aged vehicle for what I think is a decent price. Now the work begins! We are planning on doing a relatively major interior remodel (Cork tile floors, stamped tin backsplash, new countertops with a bar extension, some modification of the table and seats, junking the old heavy fold down sofa, upholstery, paint, etc etc,.) As well as some not so cosmetic upgrades (solar, switching to LED lights inside, Removing the heavy AC unit and awning, not to mention the yet to be discovered issues w propane etc.) We'll see how far we get before the warm weather lures us out... In the meantime, I'm just starting to deal with the nuts and bolts of ownership. Any help or advice anyone could offer on here would be greatly appreciated! Firstly, does anyone have or know of an owners manual for this year/model camper? Or where I could locate one? 2. Does anyone in the greater NYC metropolitan area know of a reputable shop who know RVS where I could take it to get checked? I can, with limited mechanical ability and experience, tell the obvious things, but to have it checked out by someone who knows what theyre looking for would be a great peace of mind. 3.Any experience with portable (read; not hard-mounted, like the fold up ones,) solar units? Our energy consumption is very low (No TV, no AC, limited laptop use), and we won't be on park power hardly ever. I am currently (no pun intended) looking at 90 and 130W systems. Any recommendations? I'm sure I'll be mombarding this forum with questions as I delve into this project. I'll post pictures all around! Thanks in advance for the advice, and Happy New Year!